Steam-box for fixing dyes



(No Model.)

W. THOMAS. STEAM BOX FOR FIXING DYES-.

Patented Mar. 31

WITNESSES ATTORNEY N PETERS. Fhom-Lvmn mmr. Washinglon. D. a

TATES Nrrnn \VILLIAM THOMAS, OF BROOKLYN, NENV YORK.

STEAM-scarce FIXING eves.

sfFEQIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,629, dated March 31, 1885.

Application filed April '7, 1824, (F0 model);

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Boxes for Textile Printing and other Similar Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in so constructing a steam-box that the goods will be shifted automatically in opposite directions to prevent uneven steaming.

The ordinary form of steambox in use consists of a box of boiler-plate, with a door which may be tightly closed and secured. Rails are laid on the floor of this box, and a carriage mounted on small wheels can be run in and out. This steaming carriage consists of a frame-work having at the top a series of small rolls crossing the carriage. Over these rolls the cloth is hung in pendent folds. In the best form of steam-box at present in use these rolls are connected at one end by a series of small gear-wheels, and are driven from. one end by a shaft and crank passing through a stuffing-box. These gears must be alternately reversed in their direction of rotation, and have always been turned by hand. The object of turning the rolls is to prevent the goods hanging on them being unevenly steamed. Unless the cloth-sticks are turned, streaks of a different color will be developed where the goods hang on the sticks.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic device for turning the cloth sticks or rolls with an alternately-reversed motion, and thus provide for the perfectly-uniform action of the steam. For this purpose I attach to one side of the carriage a series of wormend to fit square holes in the journals of the gear-wheels. The journals of the gear-wheels pass through or partly through the sides of the carriage. The other ends of the clothsticks have a round end and collars. They rest in bearings upon the other side of the carriage. The longitudinal shaft previously spoken of as attached to the carriage carries at the inner end a half-coupling, which is in line with a half-coupling on a continuation of this shaft which enters the steambox through a stuffing-box. To the outer end of the latter shaft is attached my automatic device for reversing the direction of motion of the wormwheels and cloth-sticks. Then the carriage is run into the steam-box, the coupling is connected and the shaft rotates, driving the wormwheel. The shaft outside of the steam-box carries a double clutch, which can mesh with either one of two pulleys running loose on the shaft and driven in opposite direct-ions. The clutch slides freely on the shaft, but is forced to turn with it by means of a feather. On the same shaft with the clutch and pulleys is a portion of an endless screw gearing with a worm-wheel are, which operates a system of levers that throw each driving-pulley alternately into gear with the shaft, and consequently reverses the direction of rotation of the cloth-sticks after such a number of turns attached to one of the levers of the system of levers.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aview of a portion of a steam-box, showing my devices. This figure is partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the steamcarriage only. Figs. 3 and 4 are front and side views of another form of arc and lever which may be used in place of the one shown in Fig. 1.

A indicates the walls of the steam-box, which are preferably of boiler-plate.

B is the steamcarriage, mounted upon wheels 0, running on rails R, placed on the bottom of the steam-box; or the wheels and rails may be placed higher up, if desired.

I are small worm gear-wheels attached to the side of the carriage, and by means of square apertures in their journals to the clothsticks K, which have square ends at It and collars at k.

G is a coupling, which may be of any con-- venient kind, but ofsuch construction as to couple automatically when the carriage is pushed into the steambom.

H is an ordinary stuffing-boigthrough which the shaft E passes. Upon the portion of the shaft E which is attached to the carriage are a series of portions of an endless screw, F equal in numbers to the worm-wheels I and gearing with them. This shaft is supported and turns in bearings attached to the side of i the carriage, and not shown in the drawings. It is preferably constructed in sections of four, siX, or more portions of the screw, and secured to each other by a mortise-and-tenon joint, the object of so constructing the shaft being to permit of a certain flexibility in it within narrow limits. t t t, &c., are the folds. of the goods hanging over the cloth-sticks.

L is a double-faced clutch, which can connect with either of the pulleys P P, which are loose on a continuation of the shaftE outside of the steam-box. Beyond the pulleys P P, on the same shaft with them, a portion of an endless screw, S, is cut. This gears with a toothed arc, o", forming the upper portion of a lever, V, turning upon a pivot, 22, and carrying at its lower end a pin, o which works in a small slot, n, in the endof a lever, N, which at its other end is pivoted by the pivot m to the lower end of another lever, M, rocking upon a pivot, m, and carrying at its upper end a pin which runs in a groove, 1, in the clutch L. A short lever, O, is pivoted at 0 to any convenient frame, to which frame are also attached the pivots m and o. A short slot, 0, is cut in the lever O, in which a pin, a,- attached to the lever N, works. The upper endof the lever O carries a weight, 0, which may be adjusted by sliding up or down the lever.

In Figs. 3 and 4 a device is shown which may be substituted for the arc-lever V and slot n. This device consists of a toothed arc, w, similar to the one shown in Fig. 1, but having at its lower end another arc, w", pierced with holes to", in which pins 10 may be inserted. This are is pivoted at w to a lever, 10, which can swing freely upon the pivot, but is limited in its motion by the pins inserted on each side of it in the arc w The action of the apparatusis as follows: The goods to be steamed are hung on the clothsticks, which have been inserted in the wormwheels I. The carriage is run into the steambOX and the door closed. The couplingG connectsautomatically, and the pulleys P P being connected by proper belts with a motive power, the shalt E begins to turn, and by means of the screw-threads and worm-wheels the cloth runs over the cloth-sticks in one direction. In the meantime the screw-thread S is acting upon the toothed arc o and rotating the lever V, and carrying the pin o along the slotn, without moving any other part, until it,

strikes against one end of the slot. It then forces the rod N to move, and with it the le tinned in one direction.

ver M, which, by a pin working in a groove in the double clutch L, pushes it out of gear with one pulley and into gear with another pulley running in the opposite direction. This contact is made secure and certain by means of the weighted lever-arm O. The shaft E now rotates in the opposite direction, and the clothsticks also turn in the opposite direction, running the cloth back as much as it had previously been turned forward. The reason for thus reversing the direction of rotation of the cloth-sticks is evident, as the cloth would soon be run out of the carriage if the motion com The amount of travel of the goods over the cloth-sticks is regulated by the length of the slot n in the lever N, and

this may be regulated by set-screws or other- Wise; or, in case the alternative arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is used, the time during which the shaft E shall rotate in one direction is limited by the distance apart of the pins in the arc to.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a i. In an apparatus for steaming dyed fabrics, and using a carriage capable of running in and out of a boiler or steam-tight inclosure, the said carriage being provided with clothsticks suitably geared to a shaft attached to the carriage and automatically connected to a shaft outside of the boiler, the combination of the pulleys running loose on the said shaft, a double clutch prevented from rotating with the shaft by means of a feather, but capable of sliding longitudinally thereon, a pin Working in a circumferential groove in said clutch, a toothed arc or sector gearing with a worm on the pulley-shaft and pivoted to the frame of the machine, and suitable levers and counter-weight to connect the toothed arc with the pin and clutch before mentioned, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an apparatus for steaming dyed fabrics, the combination of a boiler, carriage, cloth-sticks geared to a longitudinal shaft, automatic coupling, exterior shaft, loose pulleys driven in opposite directions, sliding double clutch, worm or screw-thread on shaft, pivoted toothed are gearing with worm on shaft, and system of levers connecting toothed arc with clutch, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an apparatus for steaming dyed fab-- rics, the combination of the carriage B, boiler A, cloth'sticks K, gear-wheel I, shaft E, coupling G, loose pulleys P P, clutch L, worm S, toothed pivoted arc V, levers M, O, and N, and counter-weight 0, all arranged substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

WVILLIAM THOMAS.

Vitnesses:

' WEsLEY GRAHAM,

- OLIVER J. BLABER.

IlO 

